Worth the wait
by doc boy
Summary: What happens if you loved someone but didn't know if that person was real? Would you ever see him again? Cheerio's POV


Worth the wait

I do not own Spirited Away

A/N: this is the first time I'm writing a Spirited Away fic. So I apologize if it looks out of character.

Cheerio's POV.

It's been three years since I last saw him. Till this day I don't know if I really knew him at all. It was such a crazy place and a scary experience I don't even know if it was real. Was it a dream…? Even though it was scary, a part of me wishes it was real. After all, I did find a dear friend… I've never felt this way about anyone before. I still remember telling him his real name. That was the first time I saw joy in his eyes. Those green pretty eyes… I wish they were here… I wish they were real…

The next morning I woke up with a sense of melancholy. The fact that I loved Haku and I'm not sure if he's real or not pains me greatly a lot of the time. Even my parents started to notice something was wrong a few months after we came back to the human world but didn't know what. I wish I could tell them… but how could I tell them something they won't even believe? Something I'm not even sure myself even happened. What would they say? Would they think I'm crazy? I don't want them to…

I moved my feet to the side of the bed with a sigh and got dressed. During breakfast I was quitter than usual. I could tell my parents were worried but they didn't ask what was wrong. They knew I wouldn't tell them. I finished eating breakfast, put my bag on my shoulder and left the house to go to school. As I passed by the house across the street I could see a moving truck.

 _"I wonder who's moving in…?"_ I thought to myself. I walked to the school in silence, I was silent a lot lately. Being lovesick while not being sure whether or not it was even real in the first place can do that to you…

I came into the school and sat by my desk sullenly. Slowly the class began to fill up. My friend, Sakura Kasumi sat by me as usual.

"Good morning Cheerio." I turned around to look at her and smiled.

"Oh hi Sakura." I said.

"Are you okay Cheerio? You look a little more sad than usual."

I made my smile rise a little more upwards.

"I'm fine Sakura. Just have some things on my mind."

Sakura frowned.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

 _"If I only I could tell someone about it… anyone…"_

"Thanks Sakura but I'm okay."

She gave a skeptical look. Then she simply nodded and went about her business.

 _"Haku…"_ I longed for him. Just seeing him would bring me tremendous relief because I'll know he was real all along and that he finally came back to me…

Then the teacher came in.

"Good morning kids. We have a new student today and I'd like to introduce him to you. You may enter." He said the last part to the open doorway. When the mystery student walked in, my jaw dropped. In front of me stood a boy my age with dark hair and green eyes. I could swear I've seen them before… seen him before… but he looked different now. He didn't wear the traditional blue robes I always saw him in. Now he looked like any ordinary kid. He wore blue jeans and a green tee shirt. But something in his eyes just felt right… was it really…?

Thee teacher wrote the boy's name on the whiteboard.

"This is Kohaku River Kinomoto. He's new here so I want you all to treat him well."

"Yeah!" choired the class as the boy looked for an empty seat. I looked to my right. Wouldn't you know it? There was an empty seat right next to me…

The boy walked towards me. He stopped briefly to make eye contact with me. He smiled warmly at me, as if he already knew me for years. I tried to open my mouth to speak but my mouth went dry and its line of communication to my brain went haywire. He nodded softly and sat down by my right. The students noticed this hidden exchange but didn't know what to make of it. They whispered amongst themselves before quieting down. I continued to stare, now into empty space, in complete shock. I still couldn't believe it. Was this really him? I never knew his last name was Kinomoto. Could this be some sad mistake? A sick joke played on me by fate? I had to find out. Just as I found my voice I was about to whisper to him but just then the lesson started. I sighed, cursing myself for stalling that long.

I counted the minutes till break time. I don't care how important the teacher thinks math is, I have to know if this boy is who I think he really is…

One hour later…

The bell rang and before I knew it, the class has been relived of its inhabitants. All, except one. Him. He looked towards him. I opened my mouth to speak.

"H… H… Haku…?" I asked hesitantly.

"Is it really you?" I asked, praying for a positive answer. He smiled warmly and nodded at me.

"Hello, Cheerio…" he said warmly.

Overwhelmed by emotion, I got up from my chair and brought him into a hug.

"I knew you were real…" I said happily, echoing similar words I said to him long ago.

"Real as can be, Cheerio…"

"I missed you… I missed you a lot and I didn't even know if you were real or if it was all a dream… it was so painful… I'm glad I wasn't dreaming after all…" she said.

"Me too Cheerio. I'm sorry I took so long…"

"What happened to Yubaba?"

"When I told her I quit being her apprentice, she sent me away with a fit of rage. Within the hour I was back in the human world. I'm sorry it took me so long to come back to you… I had to spend the next three years finding my parents.

"Your parents?"

"Yes. They were crushed when I disappeared. They thought I was dead. Yet they were overwhelmed with joy when I came back. It took them a while to get back to the way they used to be…"

"Did you tell them what happened?"

"Yes. Given I'm a river spirit, they knew about the spirit world, so it wasn't too hard to convince them."

"I'm glad…" I whispered and nuzzled my face into his shoulder as I started to cry softly.

"It's good to see you Cheerio…"

"It's good to see you too Kohaku…"

I basked in the glow, warmth and happiness of the moment before speaking again.

"So where do you live now?"

"Oh I'm pretty sure you already know that… didn't you see the moving truck in front of your house?" he smiled warmly.

"You… you really mean that…?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. We're gonna be next door neighbors…"

I smiled for joy. Acting on instinct I pressed my lips towards his. Shocked at first he didn't know to react, then he responded with his lips pressing back against my own and wrapping his arms around my waist as I wrapped mine around his neck. So this is what it felt like… it was a feeling so happy and pure it defies the mere attempt of description and makes your heart ache with beauty of it… finally we broke apart. I pulled away slightly with my eyes still closed. I slowly opened them and looked into his green eyes. The ones I loved so much.

"I love you Kohaku… don't you ever leave me again…"

In response, he reached out and gently wiped the tear marks off my cheeks and kissed the top of my hair softly, making me blush like mad.

"I love you too Cheerio. I promise you I'm here to stay this time… for good…"

I wrapped my arms around his neck again.

"I'm glad…" he said as he returned the embrace.

"I knew you were good…" I said happily to him. I hoped someday I'll be able to see him again and able to say that to him once more. Now my prayers have been answered.

Perhaps I haven't been dreaming… after all…

To be continued…

So there it is. I hope you like. I watched part of Spirited Away last night for the first time in a long while and again today and it's been bugging me for hours that I felt there was something missing and that I wanted it to be continued. Came around to it a little late I guess... I still remember watching it in theaters a long time ago and I still have the movie on VHS. Anyway I hope you like it. I have to be honest, I seldom right POV fics. But given the circumstances and since it's Cheerio's story and it's told from her perspective while she waits for Haku to return and everything I felt it would be fitting. First time I'm writing a POV story from a girl's point of view to be honest. At lest in these circumstances… So I hope I got it right given the fact that I'm a guy. Anyway I hope you guys liked it. And if you would leave a review I would greatly appreciate it…

Peace out…


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